Health

How to lose weight in six weeks – WITHOUT living a miserable life

But that doesn't mean that now's not a great time to get as fit and healthy as possible.

Six weeks is ample time to whip your body into shape and mind into shape.

You won't be able to shed loads of body fat (if you're interested in healthy, sustainable fat loss) but six weeks is long enough to form and sustain healthy habits that will make you feel more confident - wherever you go on holiday.

In fact, XLS Medical Tea says that one in ten people want to lose weight ahead of a summer holiday.

But how much is it realistic to lose?Dietician Helen Bond suggests: “A sensible weight loss is 1-2lb a week.

"To lose 1lb (0.5kg) of fat, you need to create a calorie deficit of 3,500 calories, and it’s easy to shift 1lb in a week simply by reducing your calorie intake by 500 calories a day."

But fat loss is highly individualistic and dependent on a number of factors, so it's hard to predict exactly how much someone might lose or not.

You've got to ask yourself why you're looking for a six-week fix - whether that's to feel more confident on holiday, to feel healthier for summer or to improve a health issue.

Once you've got that in mind, fix that "why" to a physical reminder like a photo or phrase that you can stick on your computer, your phone, your mirror.

That way, your motivation is always in front of you. Forget the scales and focus on that real-life goal.

2. Ditch the dietYes, we're talking about a six week period but the ideal situation would be to make changes that you can keep up in the future.

"Ditch the ‘diet’ mentality," Helen says.

"By definition, ‘Going on a diet’ infers there’s a start and stop date, meaning you only change what you eat during these times.

"The result: when you ‘finish your diet’ you return to the same eating habits that piled on the pounds in the first place and will make the weight come back on again!

"Instead, plan to change your eating habits for good and focus on the huge number of other benefits that eating well for life will have besides losing weight, such as more energy, better concentration, stronger immunity, a healthier heart, etc.”